Secretariat

By: William Nack

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

In 1973, Secretariat, the greatest champion in horse-racing history, won the Triple Crown. The only horse to ever grace the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated in the same week, he also still holds the record for the fastest times in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. He was also the only non-human chosen as one of ESPN's "50 Greatest Athletes of the Century". The tale of "Big Red" is an enduring and inspiring classic, more than 30 years after its initial publication.

©1975 William Nack. New Preface copyright 2010 by William Nack (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

" Secretariat is an elegantly crafted, exhilarating tale of speed and power, grace and greatness, told with such immediacy that the reader is lost in the rush of horses and the clatter and ring of the grandstand." (Laura Hillenbrand, best-selling author of Seabiscuit)

A book you cannot put down!

I loved this book. An incredible horse, an incredible era, an incredible accomplishment. The horse, the owner, the groomer, the jockey all come to life in this book.

Secretariat

The best. Story about the best race horse there ever was . I loved it. Reread to come.

What a Horse!!

A most wonderful horse whose story is told in a beautiful & emotional way. It takes you from the thrill of victory to the heartbreak of loss at the end Secretariat’s life. It holds you in its grip all the way. You LOVE this horse.

Secretariats love to race

This was a complete book, it turned out to be what I wanted in a book about Secretariat.

The story of a great athlete

The headline refers to the fact that in 1999 ESPN counted down the top 50 athletes of the 20th century and Secretariat was ranked 35th. This book by William Nack was the basis for the movie starring Diane Lane as Penny Chenery the horse's owner.
I can remember watching the Triple Crown races with interest for the time in 1973. I had seen the races previously because my mother watched them every year but in 1973 there was enough buzz that I watched them eagerly. This was especially true of the Belmont Stakes when this magnificent athlete was in line to win the first triple crown in 25 years. If you're a fan of great athletes watching Secretariat stretch out the lead in the third quarter mile and eventually win the race by 31 lengths is as stirring as any two legged athletic accomplishment. In fact, to me the only accomplishments that even compare with it are Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game in 1962 and Bob Beamon's 29 ft. 2 & one half inch long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.
This audiobook goes all the way back to Big Red's sire and dam(n)? About the money issues the owner faced and the rivalry between Secretariat and Sham, as well as between the two trainers. There are limits to the audio form; horse racing can only be fully appreciated in video. Still this is the most detailed, most comprehensive book on the horse that was almost human. The writer William Nack came to love Secretariat and the feelings that he had for this marvelous horse are all over the words he wrote about him. When the ESPN rankings came out and Big Red was ranked 35th many athletes were offended to have finished behind him. "A horse; are you kidding me a horse?" Those that knew him though had a rejoinder. "Hey you didn't know that horse."

An amazing athlete

This book is well-written and the "calling" of the race is well-done. The first several chapters delineate the sires and dams of Secretariat and I found this section somewhat tedious. Once we get into the story of Secretariat and his owners the story picks up and the "book" is hard to put down.

The narrator or the editing process could have used some work, however. There were several words that were simply incorrect. The one that I remember vividly is when the author is relating an exciting segment about Secretariat in a race. The narrator reads it as "Secretariat was lopping along. . . " That stopped me cold (as you can imagine). "What?!" I exclaimed. Then I realized that the word should be "loping". I rewound back a bit because I had lost the momentum of the story.

The book is always better than the movie.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I always wondered how different the book would be from the movie, Both were good, but the book was so real for me.

What did you like best about this story?

I wanted to know what happened to Penny and her husband.

Which scene was your favorite?

The Belmont race was the best scene for me.

Loved it!!!!!

Loved it! Great story and very informational. I know I will be reading this over and over again!!!! Well worth it!!!

A BIT TOO MUCH HISTORY

I enjoyed this book. However, I am not a true Horse Racing fan, so it had a bit to much "history" of the sport for me.

Fantastic in every way!

What made the experience of listening to Secretariat the most enjoyable?

Phenomenal story with exceptional narration. Beautifully told and read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A

Which scene was your favorite?

N/A

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

Beautiful historical recount of one of the greatest racehorses of all time.